After discussing mock fish with some friends, I figured I'd try making
some out of marinated pressed tofu, with a nori "skin".

While the tofu was marinating, I decided to make some sabzi polo to
have it with. This is a Persian herbed rice dish with dill and
scallions, and is one of my favorites. Kind of a pain to make, but
often worth it. (Hehe, is it obvious yet that I really like Persian
food?)

I wish I'd had some more herbs handy (parsley or cilantro), or some
lima beans (for baghali polo) but I was out of all of these. Still,
it was great as it was with just my somewhat inauthentic additions,
shallots and red bell pepper flakes, and went superbly with the mock
fish.

But then, I came upon a problem (such as it was): I've never had fish
before, so I can't tell you whether the tofu tasted anything like
fish! I can tell you, though, that it was very, very tasty. *grin*


Tofish

1 block of tofu
1 tsp thin soy
1/2 tsp tamari (I used Mitoku's yaemon tamari/mansan)
pinch of MSG
1 tsp dulse flakes
1 tsp ready-to-use wakame
drizzle of toasted sesame oil
splash of mirin
water
nori sheets
oil

Slice the tofu into 1cm thick slabs, and press them. (I use a pair of
bamboo sushi mats for this, with a bowl of water as a weight.

Mix the soy sauces, msg, seaweed, oil, and mirin together, then thin
with water till it's not too salt. Soak the tofu slices in this,
turning every 15 minutes, for an hour or so.

Remove the slices (don't discard the liquid!), and pat them dry,
squeezing out the excess moisture.

Arrange the slices on a sheet of nori, then place another sheet on
top. Press to ensure they stick, then separate the slices by cutting
the nori with a very sharp knife.

Heat a little oil in a pan, and fry the wrapped slices on each side.

Cut them into finger-sized pieces with the sharp knife (the nori can
be too tough to cut while eating).



Sabzi polo

This was probably, once upon a time, from the recipes section of
persia.org. But now it's from my head.

1/2 cup basmati (polished)
salt
1/2 cup or so of dill and scallions (~3:1 ratio), minced
shallot and red bell pepper flakes (because I had them handy)
water
oil

Rinse the basmati till the water runs clear.
Soak it in fairly warm water with a little salt.
Boil it for 5-10 minutes, till the rice has softened,
but not cooked.
Drain the rice again and rinse it (the rice should be quite moist)
Dry the saucepan, then put some oil in the bottom.
Put the rice into the saucepan in layers, putting some herbs between
each. You should end up with in a hill-shaped or conical mound in
the saucepan.
Poke some holes in the mound, and sprinkle a little water on it.
Cover the pan tightly, and let it cook for a few minute at high heat.
When it starts to steam, reduce the heat to medium, and let it cook
about 10-15 minutes.
Drizzle a little more oil on it, and cook it at low heat for another
10-15 minutes.

(This method makes a crispy crust (tah dig) on the bottom of the
mound. It's very yummy, but much easier to remove from a nonstick
pan.)


Enjoy (I certainly did!),
N.